WHY? 

Dr. Vijay Shanker Choubey is an Indian classical style violin player. He has dedicated his life to traditional music of Varanasi, rich in its history yet struggling today to find its place in the modern world. The younger generation is drifting towards the popular modern culture, and it is extremely hard for musicians like Vijay Ji to survive out of art. This is not the story of Vijay Ji alone, a report to UNESCO mentions that more than 60% of the folk music is either extinct or dying quickly and soon will become parts of our forgotten history.

WHAT? 

Espirito Kashi is about protecting these rich traditions and creating a place for them in the modern world. We are an avant-garde media and culture society that promotes the documentation, creation and appreciation of content that bring into light various art forms of a community. We are currently creating a video/documentary series on folk music of Varanasi and nearby villages. Our aim is to preserve and promote the dying folk music while maintaining its essence.

HOW? 

We are doing a 3-month long pilot project which includes living with a rural community, understanding its traditional music and presenting it creatively to a wider audience. The project is divided into 2 phases - collection and presentation. We have successfully recorded more than 150 rare folk songs and now working on their presentation.

OUTCOME! 

Thanks to all the donors and supporters, Espirito Kashi is happy to announce the release of to announce the release of the documentary film - Vivah Samskara, Bhojpuri Wedding Rites & Folk Songs. The documentary is about the folk songs that are sung by women during a Bhojpuri wedding that is spread over 5 days. It contains a first hand description of Bhojpuri wedding rites from the point of view of a Brahmin family residing in Bhadwar village of Bihar. Link: http://youtu.be/fbpoUC71iMM

MESSAGE FROM TEAM ESPIRITO KASHI 

“Our project documents dying folk music and associated folktales in the form of videos. These short videos or episodes aim at capturing the essence of the folk songs, to explain their meaning and provide a unique traditional experience to the audience. We plan to start with at least 2 dying forms of folk music which will be preserved and promoted using local TV channels and social media. This is our little step to generate interest of country’s youth by explaining the meaning behind the folk music and presenting it creatively, and we need your help!”

ABOUT THE TEAM – THE DUO PASSIONATE MUSIC LOVERS 

Rajat Madan is an alumnus of TISS (MA in Social Entrepreneurship) and holds a degree in engineering from NIT Trichy. He has worked in the past with iRunway, a boutique technology, finance and litigation consulting firm with primary expertise in intellectual property. Linkedin: http://in.linkedin.com/in/rajatmadan

Rajat Nayyar is a Young India Fellow (2013-2014), previously specialised in S.E.O, Marketing and Kitchen operations. He started Espirito Kashi 3 years back and has filmed various purification rituals around India and Brazil, including Antim Samskara, Santo Dime (Ayahuasca) and Umbanda. Linkedin: http://in.linkedin.com/in/rajatnayyar

You can visit their website at espiritokashi.org and read/watch interesting stories on folk culture, mythology, and traditions of Varanasi, the cultural capital of India.